047: Reframing the Meaning of “Good Soil” with Jeff Chu

Many people who have read The Parable of the Sower interpret it as: You have to be the “good soil,” or else.

However, in my conversation with Jeff Chu, he reframes what good soil actually means and how it’s made. Pulling from his latest book, Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand, Jeff guides us through a beautiful discussion on the theology of compost, returning to cultural roots, embracing diversity, being attentive to beauty, befriending the dark, and more.

Perhaps even withered plants, thorns, and rock-laden soil can be used for our flourishing. I hope you’ll listen.

Download Episode Transcript 📄

Guest Spotlight ✨ 

Jeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer,” Chu writes about spirituality, gardening, food, travel, and culture. He lives with his husband, Tristan, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Links & Resources 🔗

• Website | Instagram | Substack

• Good Soil by Jeff Chu Amazon | Bookshop

• Othered by Jenai Auman Amazon | Bookshop

• A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wil Gafney Amazon | Bookshop

Don’t Miss the Next Episode!

Subscribe for free and never miss out on these conversations with old and new friends. Is there a guest you’d like to hear from? Let us know!

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:

Apple Podcasts  |  Spotify  |  Amazon Music  |  YouTube

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review. It would mean the world if you would leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify or share with your friends. 

Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to provide those wounded by spiritual abuse and religious trauma with practical resources moving toward healing and wholeness, and to provide pastors and church leaders with resources to grow in trauma awareness and implement safeguarding practices. Get more information or give a tax-free donation here. 

As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.